Friday, November 14, 2008

Old and worn-out line, but still true. I think our Creator got it all wrong anyway. I think when we are young and our hormones are raging and we are going to do all in our power to follow His will and procreate anyway, why do we have to be slim with bright eyes and taut skin? Why can't we have that when we're old and know how to make the most of it?

Well, anyway . . . For some reasons I will not enumerate here (mostly because for the life of me they don't make sense now) I did not see a dentist for 10 years. So when I recently went on this kick of "Ohmygosh, here I am old as dirt and falling apart and what am I going to do about it" I decided I really should have my teeth checked out and cleaned. I actually had a tooth which had been broken since 2001, but it wasn't causing me any pain or trouble so I did nothing about it. Let me just say right here that I was extremely fortunate considering the amount of time that had passed with no professional care for my teeth. The broken tooth was repaired in very little time, requiring a crown for which my dental insurance paid half. The cleaning was a different story. They had to do something called root planing and scaling, which actually sounds worse than it was. It took about and hour and a half this morning (and a lot of scraping by the hygienist, who is an absolute angel) to get the plaque off my teeth at the gum line. It was mildly uncomfortable (I was told by a MALE co-worker that it was just horrible), and my gums are a little sore. All in all I feel lucky. The hygienist said they weren't bad for being neglected as long as they were, and there was no significant bone loss and no indication that I was in danger of losing any teeth.

So in addition to my new diet (which eliminates almost everything I like to eat) and the exercises given to me by my physical therapist (who just released me from my weekly visits), I must now get into the habit of flossing my teeth. Oh, woe is me! How will I ever work that into my already full life? It is just possible that I will be forced to floss instead of watching Frasier on TV each morning. Oh no, wait . . . I can do both at once! Problem solved. I will just have to force myself to floss before working on my latest crochet project.I guess it's never too late to start taking better care of myself.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

While driving I normally listen to either country music or classic rock, sometimes oldies. My commute to work is 33 miles one way (actually 32.7 as my mother would say), so I have a little time to listen to music or whatever catches my fancy. Sometime during the presidential campaign I became more civic-minded than I usually am and actually wanted to know what the candidates stood for. When I left for work one night one of the debates was about to begin, so I started searching the radio stations for a news station that might be broadcasting it. I came across a station which was coming in clearly and was carrying the debate, and the time passed very quickly on my way to work that night.I was either too lazy to change the station . . . or could it be my mind was actually open to trying a radio station that had more to offer than just the same old music? Anyway, I kept the radio tuned to this public broadcasting station and found that I was enjoying not only the news programs but the music--sometimes classical, sometimes jazz, and I swear I think I heard some downright hillbilly music one night. On Sunday nights there is a program called "The Infinite Mind" which can be about anything from insanity to telling lies to brilliance in music. I hardly ever change the station anymore.Then today I was in a mood which I cannot describe. I needed to do some shopping at one of those well-known super stores that are open 24/7. There are several of them within short distances of my house, but for some reason I wound up on the east side of Athens. On the way there my public broadcasting station started to get a little fuzzy, so I searched for something else. What I found was the college radio station. It happened to be Alumni Weekend at the station, which meant former students who had worked at the station came back and were allowed to play anything they pleased. It was great! There was music I had never heard but enjoyed very much, and artists I had mostly never heard of but will seek out now. I found myself even laughing at some of the songs--so bold and raucous. I had forgotten how different the programming is on college stations.The drive home turned into somewhat of an adventure. (Lil Sis will know what I mean.) At times I decide to take a different route from one point to the other. There is no rhyme or reason. It is just a decision I make on the spur of the moment. It could be from boredom, I'm not sure. At any rate, today was one of those times. I went in search of a certain drugstore (which I found and shopped successfully) and decided it was just too much trouble to take the "regular" route home. So off I go on a road I don't think I've ever traveled but somehow I knew it would take me home. And this time I didn't even get lost or turned around. Never had to turn around and go back. Oh, I saw a couple of roads that I recognized which would have shortened the journey a little--but what was the hurry? It was a truly magificent fall day, and I started looking at the beautiful colors of the leaves. (Is it my imagination, or are the leaves more vibrant this year than in years past?) At some point I passed a man on a bicycle and thought for a fleeting moment how I wished I were riding today. Like I said, it was fleeting. I knew I had to get home and get some sleep before time to come to work tonight.(Reminder to self: Check those lottery numbers.)Gotta go now. Need to see if I can find some of those artists from the college station today.